The USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer, has teams in several major markets, including Detroit, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis and Las Vegas. The level of play seems to be improving every season, which Sacramento Republic FC showed by beating three MLS teams on its way to last year’s U.S. Open Cup final.

But even with its place in the soccer pyramid, the league hasn’t become a pipeline of MLS talent. That’s why the Fire signing right back Jonathan Dean was noteworthy.

Dean, 25, spent three seasons with Birmingham Legion and last year was named to the USL Championship’s all-league second team. By acquiring Dean, perhaps sporting director Georg Heitz, technical director Sebastian Pelzer and the Fire took advantage of an underused source of players.

“We want to comb every aspect, throughout the world, throughout the lower leagues in this country to find the best fit for this organization and for this club and for this team,” coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “That’s what we are trying to do.”

To become a starter, Dean will have to further acclimate himself with the higher level of play in MLS and beat out Arnaud Souquet, who was signed from Montpellier HSC in France’s top division. Even if he can’t supplant Souquet, the Fire are getting a somewhat-known commodity and dependable depth in Dean, someone who’s familiar with American soccer and playing against mid-career professionals.

“You’re playing with guys that are 27, 28 years old that have families,” Dean said of the USL Championship. “It is a professional environment that you step into. Over the years, it’s grown a lot, exponentially. They’re investing more into clubs, which ultimately leads to investing in players.”

Instead of looking to a lower domestic league, many MLS teams have preferred to scour the globe for talent to fill their rosters in hopes of finding a winning lottery ticket. Maybe those players have a higher ceiling, but as the Fire saw with former backup right back Jhon Espinoza who never became a reliable piece, a lower floor, too.

MLS clubs, while trying to keep up in an improving league, also have their own developmental sides and like to promote players from those groups to the first team. And since the USL Championship has veteran players established in their clubs and homes, it’s possible some don’t want to uproot their lives for an off chance to be an MLS contributor.

Hendrickson, however, expects the USL Championship to produce more players as it experiences its own improvement.

“If it’s not tapped in right now, I don’t think that will go on for too much longer,” Hendrickson said. “I think teams are going to start looking into that league for players.”

Dean said he doesn’t feel pressure to represent the USL Championship in MLS. His goal is to show he can compete at a high level in the United States’ top league.

Making the USL Championship look good would be a nice bonus.

“If that’s an opportunity for other [MLS] teams to be able to go and look in the second division, the USL Championship, and say, ‘Hey, these guys can play,’ then that’s awesome,” Dean said. “Ultimately, it’s being able to do my job and do it to the best of my ability. If that leads to [MLS teams] starting to scout the USL then that’s great for the league.”

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Is it nice to have a break from football this weekend? To get outside in the fresh, if nippy, air? To take a walk, meet a neighbor or spend some time in quiet contemplation? To interact with offspring and significant others — what a concept — on Sunday?

That was question No. 1 in this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter. The answer, God bless America, was a hard no.

We also asked if oldster Tom Brady, retired again, will unretire at some point and give NFL quarterbacking another whirl. Most voters said no to that, too.

Finally, we asked which of Jerry Reinsdorf’s teams is a bigger disappointment: the 2022 White Sox or this season’s Bulls.

“The Sox were massively hurt all year long,” @itsbaseballkid commented. “The Bulls don’t have that excuse.”

The Sox, though, far outpaced the Bulls in the voting.

“Had someone told them they actually have to play AND win the games as compared to showing up with a false sense of entitlement, things may have been different,” wrote @FatDudeRunning. “More simply put, the Sox were projected as World Series favorites. Nobody had those expectations for the Bulls.”

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: Is it nice to have a break from football this weekend?

Upshot: With results like these, one wonders how we function as a society during those awful months of the year when the NFL and college football aren’t in session. Wait, do we function as a society then? Or ever? Never mind.

Poll No. 2: Will 45-year-old Tom Brady, who announced his retirement (again) on Wednesday, play in the NFL again?

Upshot: Four out of five believe Brady this time when he says he’s hanging it up for good? Do four out of five also believe Aaron Rodgers will blow off $59 million instead of playing again in 2023? And that Rep. George Santos will compete for the U.S. volleyball squad at the Paris Olympics in 2024? Just kidding, friends — Brady’s probably done. “He can finally join AARP!” @JBIRD1268 cracked.

Poll No. 3: Which team was/is more disappointing, the 2022 White Sox or the 2022-23 Bulls?

Upshot: The Bulls blow giant leads, lose to rotten teams, often play without any intensity whatsoever and seem bound for — at best — the play-in tournament. And they’re the team that received only one-fourth of the vote? Yikes, Sox.

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Why does it seem like the Cardinals never sell off core players, never strip down the roster to rebuild?

Maybe because they don’t?

“We never have since I’ve been here,” said Cardinals team president John Mozeliak, who joined the team in the scouting department after the 1995 season.

Maybe because they can’t.

“Our fans don’t want to win,” Mozeliak said. “They demand to win.”

Whether fans in St. Louis actually demand more than fans in these parts, Cardinals management for decades has at least paid more than lip service to the so-called culture they claim — the kind of culture Cubs bosses Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer vowed to create when they took over in Chicago 11 years ago.

You know, “foundation for sustained success,” continuity, “player development -machine” and all that stuff.

For all the promise and goodwill that seemed to be delivered with the Cubs’ core that won in 2016, the differences between the way the rival franchises operate — if not perform — haven’t looked this significant since long before Epstein and Hoyer arrived.

If anything, the difference was underscored when the last All-Star from the Cubs’ championship core, Willson Contreras, signed an $87.5 million deal to replace Yadier Molina, the championship-core All-Star for the Cardinals, who remained in the St. Louis lineup until last year’s retirement.

“I came here because I know the history of the team,” said Contreras, who has started three of the last four All-Star Games.

With Contreras’ departure, only Kyle Hendricks remains from the 2016 championship. And he might not be ready to pitch until May as he tries to come back from a shoulder injury in the final guaranteed year of his contract.

In fact, only four players who were on the roster all year for the Cubs’ last playoff appearance — the abbreviated 2020 season — are still around. And one of them, David Bote, was last seen getting optioned to the minors last summer.

The Cubs have more than $300 million worth of new faces they’ll send out to renew one of the oldest rivalries in the game this year. And while finally spending again on the product is certainly worthy of local applause, it’s also a reminder — if not an indictment — of the payroll purging the past few years that created such a dire talent deficit in the first place.

Meanwhile, reminders of the Cardinals’ history that Contreras talked about persist year after year around that place — whether it was arguably overpaying Molina long past his prime to provide leadership and cultural continuity during a career that included 13 playoff appearances and two rings, or the $17.5 million the Cards paid this winter for one more year of 41-year-old starter Adam Wainwright’s curveball and guile.

“I don’t have anything to compare it to because I’ve only been here, but I know we take it very seriously that what was passed down to us is going to be passed down to the next group,” said Wainwright, who didn’t want to specifically make any comparisons to the Cubs when asked.

“The winning traditions that we’ve had here, they’ve worked. Just plain and simple. Over the years, we’ve done things pretty much the same way since I got here, and it was done pretty much the same way before I got here, and hopefully when I leave it’ll be done pretty much the same way after I leave. That’s just about buy-in.”

Culture is one of the most overused, largely meaningless words in a sports lexicon full of such things.

The Cardinals like to think they’ve delivered on it almost continuously since the first of their National League-record 11 World -Series championships in 1926.

The Cubs like to talk about it and at least briefly believed they delivered on it during that 2015-17 run of NL Championship Series.

Whatever good “culture” means, continuity might be the more tangible quality that speaks to what Mozeliak, Wainwright and even Contreras are talking about.

“I always think about it as understanding our past, or having a great appreciation for our past, because the Cardinals have a rich history,” Mozeliak said. “So embrace that.

“You look at Adam Wainwright or Yadier Molina, they’ve [had impact] for 20 years in this organization, and they’re still good players. But then that’s why we go out and we trade for people like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, so we have another generation of that coming.”

After missing the playoffs with second- and third-place finishes from 2016 through 2018, the Cardinals traded three young players to Arizona for Paul Goldschmidt, the All-Star first baseman, then overtook the Cubs and Brewers for the NL Central title in 2019.

A year later, they signed Goldschmidt to a five-year, $130 million extension, and a year after that sent another batch of young players to Colorado for Arenado, the top third baseman in the league over his career.

Goldschmidt and Arenado finished 1-3 in MVP voting in the NL last year.

The Cardinals haven’t missed the playoffs since the Goldschmidt trade and are strong favorites to win the division again in 2023.

“The fact is that’s kind of our model,” Mozeliak said. “None of this is possible if we don’t draft and develop well, though. -Because then we don’t have trade chips and we don’t have the players to augment what we have out here.”

That goes back to trading for Mark

McGwire in 1997, Jim Edmonds in 2000 and Matt Holliday in 2009. All stuck around on contract extensions after the trades.

“So the success of all of this is trying to keep a generation of players that our fans identify with, over and over and over,” Mozeliak said.

What are the Cubs missing? -Besides, of course, the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Yu Darvish — who have combined for three All-Star selections and five playoff appearances since the Cubs sent them packing during the roster purge after the 2020 division title.

Culture? Maybe. Continuity? Obviously.

Sustained success?

“As far as winning goes, we’ve been taught well,” Wainwright said. “We had veterans that were speaking into our lives and schooling us left and right. And so when we became the veterans, we were trying to do the same thing to the younger guys: Lead by example and talk when you need to, and we have a bunch of guys that respond well to that.”

For Wainwright, that started as a rookie reliever for the 2006 championship team. But it seems like the Cardinals have been doing this generation-to-generation continuity thing since the Gashouse Gang in the 1930s.

Wainwright, Goldschmidt and Mozeliak, perhaps not surprisingly, all said that continuity has a direct correlation to winning.

Just having players in the clubhouse with deep-October experience obviously matters, as the Cubs know first-hand with the likes of Jon Lester, John Lackey and David Ross setting the tone for a young core during the historic championship run.

But specifically retaining core players who have done it in the same uniform as an organization integrates the next generation?

“There’s something to that,” said Wainwright, who paired with Molina to make more starts than any other battery in history.

Consider that the Cardinals have had one losing season since the 1990s.

Since that losing season in 2007, the bigger-revenue Cubs not only have almost as many losing seasons (seven) as winning seasons (eight), but they’ve actually tanked. Twice.

Cubs president Jed Hoyer, who ascended from general manager to replace Epstein after the 2020 season, has mused about the impressive continuity of the Cardinals’ success since he got to Chicago.

“I thought one of the best things we had in Boston was the Yankees. You knew that standard you had to reach to win and be good was really high,” said Hoyer, the former assistant general manager with the Red Sox under Epstein.

“I felt that way when we got here,” Hoyer said. “[The Cardinals] won the World Series in ’11, lost the World Series in ’13. As we were building, we knew that in order to be a really good team and win this division, to compete at the highest level, we weren’t going to back into the playoffs. We had to compete with that. I feel that way now.”

Maybe he’ll catch them again after ramping up again, maybe even this year.

But they look a lot further away from building that kind of team — certainly that sustainability model — than they did when he and Epstein started more than a decade ago.

The comparison didn’t look any better when Mozeliak landed Contreras with a five-year offer. Contreras called it an “honor” to follow Molina.

“It’s a big responsibility,” he said.

That’s the power of a history Contreras has revered from afar for years.

It’s a history powerful enough to guide a Cardinals management team every bit as modern and tech-savvy as the next to overlook an age-regression value model and consider a bigger picture for a key player.

“What I can say is that here in St. Louis, they have taken very good care of us, and we’ve tried to take very good care of them,” Wainwright said. “This is like home.”

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Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

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Former Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward was one of a handful of people left on North Austin Center’s expansive indoor turf field an hour after the ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, taking pictures with a group of patient fans and giving one last interview about his baseball academy, which is an integral part of the center’s sports programming.

In the opposite corner, two kids threw a baseball in the batting cage — one of two that lower from the towering ceiling into right field — trying to knock a second ball off a tee.

“If [this facility] is not here, they’re not there,” Heyward said.

That idea — giving kids and community members a place to learn, play and thrive — drove at the heart of the community center’s mission. Heyward initially got involved through his connection to By The Hand Club For Kids, which partnered with the Grace and Peace Revive Center and Intentional Sports to serve as the three nonprofit organizations anchoring the 10-acre sports, education and wellness campus on Chicago’s West Side.

When Donnita Travis, founder and executive director of By The Hand Club For Kids, and Andy McDermott, founder and chief development officer of Intentional Sports, pitched the idea of the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy, Heyward was entering his sixth season with the Cubs and putting family roots down in Chicago. He announced to the audience at the groundbreaking months later that he’d recently received his Illinois license in the mail, “just so you all know I’m not playing; I’m here.”

Now, he’ll be competing for a roster spot with the Dodgers in spring training after signing a minor-league deal in December. But in the eyes of the people with whom he has worked to make the North Austin Center a reality, the city Heyward reps on his uniform doesn’t mean much.

“Whether he’s playing in L.A. or whether he is training in Arizona, makes no difference,” Travis said after presenting Heyward with By The Hand Club For Kids’ second annual Power of One award Thursday. “This is home. . . . And frankly, he will always have a home here with us.”

Heyward couldn’t have planned for his work to take him away from Chicago so soon. He signed an eight-year deal with the Cubs entering the 2016 season. Last year, though, he went on the injured list with inflammation in his right knee in late June and didn’t play another game. In August, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer announced the club’s intention to release Heyward from the final year of his contract.

While Heyward explored free agency, shortstop Dansby Swanson reached out about his own decision. Both are Georgia natives, and they’ve known each other since Swanson was in high school, Hayward said.

They worked out in the same gym in Kennesaw — also where Heyward first met Dexter Fowler. Even after Swanson went off to college at Vanderbilt, he’d come home for the holidays and work out alongside professionals such as Heyward, Chris Nelson and Josh Smoker.

Swanson was one of the top four shortstops in an illustrious free-agent class this winter.

“As far as the whole process — having to move family, worried about where you’re going to live, all those things — I said, Bro, put yourself first,” Heyward said. “Whatever you love about your process, go do that. And just enjoy it. Everything else will sort itself out.

“Of course, you’re going to be fortunate enough to have more money that’s coming your way. But it’s very easy in that process to get lost in having other people to take care of, people treating you differently. So I just gave my thoughts on what peace of mind looks like to me eight years later after going through that process.”

Swanson signed for seven years and $177 million guaranteed, the largest contract the Cubs have given a free agent since Heyward’s eight-year, $184 million deal.

Heyward went to the Dodgers, who showed early and consistent interest.

“They know what it’s like to win a ring and now have hunger for more,” Heyward said. “And to see some of the pieces of their franchise — starting with Joc [Pederson], Kik? [Hernandez] and now Cody [Bellinger] and Justin Turner — you see those guys move on, but how do you revamp that? So them wanting to add someone like myself, that stood out a lot.”

The team has been just as engaged since his signing, working with Heyward to bounce back from time missed last season and an offensive decline the last couple of years. But standing in the North Austin Center, Heyward let his mind go to future offseasons and a different kind of impact.

“I hope to get as many major-league guys, minor-league guys, college guys to come in here and work out in the offseason and over time,” he said. “Then you start gaining influence, then you see other kids that are playing in high school want to come in here and say, ‘OK, well, this is what Baseball Academy can bring, this kind of influence, this kind of structure.’ “

Heyward has been “hands-on” throughout the process of erecting the North Austin Center and launching the baseball academy, according to McDermott. The Jason Heyward Baseball Academy already has regular baseball programming planned, but Heyward sees that as just the beginning. As it gains momentum, why not, for example, have a competitive travel team based out of the North Austin Center?

“I spent my time here as a Cub, as an athlete in the city, and being able to be rooted on by a lot of people,” said Heyward, encircled by reporters after the ribbon-cutting. “But that’s always going to come to an end, the playing side of the game, for this city or another. But either way, this will always be here.”

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Friday marked the start of the four-week countdown to the NHL trade deadline March 3. Just like last year, the Blackhawks might be one of the busiest teams in the league during this stretch.

Given how the vast majority of the Hawks’ built-to-lose roster is made up of veterans, almost everyone could be traded, assuming the return is right. The same would be true for cornerstones Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but only if they inform general manager Kyle Davidson they’ll waive their no-trade clauses.

The Islanders potentially jump-started the market this week by acquiring Bo Horvat from the Canucks for Anthony Beauvillier, a first-round draft pick and top prospect Aatu Raty, setting a high-price precedent that surely excited other sellers around the league.

After the All-Star break, the ripple effects might start promptly or they might take awhile. Either way, expect the Hawks to field calls on most, if not all, of the trade-bait players listed below.

And if a team comes calling about somebody not on this list, the Hawks probably would consider that, too. They have no reason to be picky.

PATRICK KANE

Contract: Pending unrestricted free agent, $10.5 million salary-cap hit (per CapFriendly).

Value: High.

Trade likelihood: Medium.

The lowdown: Kane holds all the power right now and hasn’t tipped his hand about whether he’s willing to leave. Even if he is, there are plenty of factors to complicate trade negotiations: high cap hit, lingering lower-body injury and reduced production this season (34 points in 45 games).

But he is still Patrick Kane, and he will be heavily sought-after, if available. The Rangers long have been considered Kane’s most likely post-Chicago destination, but that’s not a certainty by any means. The Hawks’ asking price is probably a package of a first-round pick and a notable prospect.

JONATHAN TOEWS

Contract: Pending UFA, $10.5M cap hit.

Value: Medium.

Trade likelihood: Medium.

The lowdown: All of Kane’s caveats apply to Toews, too, but his cap hit will be an even bigger obstacle. Even 50% retention, knocking it down to $5.25 million, might not be enough — although the Hawks happily will do it. That could necessitate getting a third-party team involved to retain another 25%, which would require pick compensation and further reduce the Hawks’ overall trade return.

Nonetheless, Toews’ leadership skills, faceoff dominance and improved-from-last-season production (28 points in 46 games) would attract contenders if he decides to leave. The Avalanche, Hurricanes and Toews’ hometown Jets are three destinations that might make sense.

MAX DOMI

Contract: Pending UFA, $3M cap hit.

Value: Medium to high.

Trade likelihood: Medium.

The lowdown: Domi was signed last summer with the idea of flipping him at the deadline. There’s still a good chance that happens, but he has impressed so much this season — both as the team’s leading scorer (35 points in 48 games) and as a hard-working, culture-setting guy — that there’s also a good chance he’ll be re-signed. The Hawks’ asking price for Domi is probably a second-round pick.

ANDREAS ATHANASIOU

Contract: Pending UFA, $3M cap hit.

Value: Medium to low.

Trade likelihood: High.

The lowdown: Athanasiou began the season in the same boat as Domi. He hasn’t impressed quite as much, but he has been fine, with 16 points (including 10 goals) in 47 games.

His speed and vision are good for a few highlight-reel plays per week, and he has improved defensively (albeit from a low starting point). A third- or fourth-round pick probably would be an acceptable offer.

SAM LAFFERTY

Contract: One year left, $1.15M cap hit.

Value: Medium.

Trade likelihood: High.

The lowdown: Lafferty already is drawing substantial interest, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported, and for obvious reasons: He’s cheap, versatile, defensively responsible and an extremely good skater. He has 17 points in 42 games this season, but eight of those came in 13 games in January.

A contender with penalty-kill issues — such as the Kraken (30th in net PK efficiency), Kings (26th), Oilers (23rd) or Avalanche (20th) — might be the most logical fit. He could end up being a clever buy-low, sell-high investment by Davidson.

JAKE McCABE

Contract: Two years left, $4M cap hit.

Value: High.

Trade likelihood: Medium.

The lowdown: McCabe’s major bounce-back season has done wonders for his reputation, career trajectory and trade value. He has been arguably the Hawks’ best defenseman and has 14 points in 45 games. His reasonable cost certainty is also attractive, although he can block trades to seven teams.

The Oilers, Kings and Maple Leafs have shown interest in McCabe, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported.

CONNOR MURPHY

Contract: Three years left, $4.4M cap hit.

Value: Medium.

Trade likelihood: Low.

The lowdown: Like Athanasiou compared to Domi, Murphy is a similar asset to McCabe — they’re both 29-year-old defensive defensemen — but a bit less valuable. He has spent most of the season on the second pairing and has seven points in 48 games.

There’s a good chance Murphy sticks around as a veteran leader and alternate captain through the Hawks’ rebuild, but there’s also a chance he will be moved if the opportunity arises. He can block trades to 10 teams.

JACK JOHNSON

Contract: Pending UFA, $950K cap hit.

Value: Low.

Trade likelihood: High.

The lowdown: If a contender wants the 36-year-old Johnson to provide depth and experience for their playoff run, the Hawks well might trade him for very little return — conceivably as little as ”future considerations” — to reward him for being a good sport.

The veteran defenseman did aid the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run last spring. He has four points in 48 games with the Hawks.

ALEX STALOCK

Contract: Pending UFA, $750K cap hit.

Value: Medium.

Trade likelihood: Low.

The lowdown: The Hawks’ top priority is Stalock’s health in the wake of his second concussion of the season. But if he does recover soon, it’s conceivable he could attract trade interest, as rare as it is for goalies to move at the deadline. The Kings are one contender searching for goaltending help, so they theoretically might be interested.

When not injured, Stalock has played extremely well this season behind a shoddy defense, going 6-6-1 with a .918 save percentage and a plus-8.1 goals saved above average in 14 games. His off-ice presence is also fantastic.

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MOBILE, Ala. — There are astronomical expectations on the Bears this offseason. Everything general manager Ryan Poles did in his first year on the job was aimed at setting up this pivotal opportunity, and he’s loaded with an NFL-high $90.9 million in salary-cap space and a full slate of draft picks.

While free agency comes first and could reshape Poles’ wish list, the draft is typically where teams find cornerstone players. And with the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1947, the Bears should be able to put key pieces in place as they try to develop Justin Fields into a franchise quarterback.

Poles, assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, coach Matt Eberflus and various other personnel have been scouting the Senior Bowl practices this week, and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is head coach of the American team.

Poles has minimal track record to examine since he was hired as a first-time general manager, but he has already shown an inclination to trade down, so the current lineup of draft picks almost certainly will change between now and April.

Selections will shift, too, when the NFL awards compensatory picks next month — the Bears aren’t expected to receive any — but here’s a road map for how they could nail the draft:

First round, No. 1 overall

Teams can find stars anywhere in the draft, illustrated most clearly by Tom Brady going late in the sixth round, but the odds are far more in Poles’ favor the higher he picks. And when teams are drafting this high, they’re hoping to get a player whose number they’ll eventually retire.

The caveat for the Bears is that they’re not shopping for a quarterback, and seven of the next eight teams picking after them need one. It’s a perfect opportunity for Poles to trade down, acquire more assets and still get the player he would’ve taken first overall. If he swings a deal with the Colts at No. 4, he’d almost certainly still be able to take Alabama defensive end Will Anderson or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. It’s possible he’d still have his choice of the two.

The Bears were last in the NFL in sacks and second-worst against the run, so Anderson or Carter would fit an enormous and urgent need. There’s no wrong answer between the two. Since pass rusher is the second-most important position on the roster, go with Anderson.

Second round, No. 56 overall

Almost every move Poles made in his first year on the job was with an eye on maximizing his opportunity this offseason, but there was one outlier: sending the Bears’ second-round pick to the Steelers for wide receiver Chase Claypool.

While he justified it because he was unimpressed by the upcoming free-agent class at wide receiver, Poles might’ve hesitated a bit more had he known how high that pick would be. Since the Dolphins got their first-round pick stripped by the NFL for tampering, the Bears’ second-rounder would’ve been No. 32 overall. This second-round pick came from the Ravens when Poles offloaded All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith.

At this point, Poles probably will have to add a receiver by trade as teams did when they picked up A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams last year. So with this pick, he needs to help Fields by upgrading the line with Ohio State center Luke Wypler.

Third round, No. 65 overall

If the Bears don’t take Carter at the top of the draft, they can still get a forceful defensive tackle in the middle of the draft. Former Bears star Akiem Hicks was a third-round pick, as was Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave — a seven-year starter and one-time Pro Bowl pick.

Bowling Green’s Karl Brooks would be a good target with this pick. He’s 6-foot-4, 300 pounds and had 30 1/2 tackles for loss over his final two seasons and has the versatility to line up at defensive end, too.

Fourth round, Nos. 103 and 134 overall

This is typically where player evaluations become difficult and fluctuate significantly from team to team. No one realistically plans on finding major contributors here. But with so many holes on the roster, the Bears need to get lucky.

Houston wide receiver Tank Dell is worth watching in this range. He’s just 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, but he’s absurdly fast and clocked the third-fastest time at his position in Senior Bowl practices at 20.16 miles per hour. He totaled 199 catches, 2,727 yards and 29 touchdowns his last two seasons.

“He dominated the one-on-ones probably more than anybody,” said Getsy, who has Dell on his team this week. “Really cool kid to be around. Knows what he’s doing.”

The Bears also need to get serious about a dual-threat quarterback to develop behind Fields the way the Ravens have stacked their depth chart behind Lamar Jackson. There’s a decent chance Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker drifts in the draft because of his ACL injury, so the Bears could pounce.

Fifth round, Nos. 136 and 154 overall

From the fifth round on, it’s time to swing big. Picking a player with huge potential should be the priority over positional needs. In some cases, though, those two approaches will overlap.

The Bears should be bringing in offensive linemen and cornerbacks nonstop in the hope that they find a starting-caliber player. In the fifth round, they could go with Iowa State guard Trevor Downing and Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett.

Note: The Bears’ own pick currently is slotted at No. 136, but they haven’t disclosed the conditional fifth-rounder they got from the Ravens. This is assuming it is the fifth-round pick the Ravens got from the Patriots.

Seventh round, No. 220 overall

Poles made a nice pick in the seventh round last year by taking punter Trenton Gill out of North Carolina State, and he was a solid, cheap replacement for Pat O’Donnell.

Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter had a modest final season with the Gators, but he’s 6-foot-4, 223 pounds and was ESPN’s top-rated wide receiver recruit as a senior in high school. He clearly has the physique and talent, and it’d be worthwhile for the Bears to see what they can get from him.

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Hyde Park junior Jurrell Baldwin is the Public League’s breakout star this season.

That’s a title typically earned by a high-scoring senior, but the 6-6 Homewood-Flossmoor transfer has earned it by enticing scouts with his strong frame and shooting ability and by leading the Thunderbirds to an eye-opening 21-5 record and a spot in the Public League quarterfinals.

Baldwin had 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in Hyde Park’s 45-32 victory against visiting Farragut in the second round Friday. He made two corner three-pointers in the first quarter and shot 3-for-4 from three-point range in the game.

”That’s all a credit to the guards,” Baldwin said. ”They get down and penetrate and kick it out to me.”

Baldwin was an unknown heading into the season. Thunderbirds coach Jerrel Oliver was confident he would be a major contributor, but no one was expecting a star.

”He’s a mismatch problem every time he steps on the court,” Oliver said. ”Either someone is too small or too slow to guard him. I think he’s the best player in the class. He can only stop himself.”

Baldwin had some help in the post against the Admirals (12-15). All-Public League tight end Maasi Gibson, a 6-5 senior, outmuscled Farragut for 13 points and four rebounds.

”We targeted going to the post because we knew they were small,” Gibson said. ”We worked our magic and played as a team.”

Jonathan Calmese led Farragut with 12 points and five rebounds, and Eric Powell and Jamari Pickens each scored eight points.

Camron Willford added seven points for the Thunderbirds, who will host Perspectives-Leadership in the quarterfinals.

The Warriors have beaten Hyde Park twice this season, once in conference play and once at the Big Dipper Holiday Tournament in December.

”The first time we blew a double-digit lead, and the second time we blew a lead with two minutes left in the game,” Oliver said. ”We are looking forward to this next matchup. This time they have to come to us.”

Lincoln Park forfeits

Curie advanced to the quarterfinals without having to play a second-round game, and Lincoln Park coach Antwon Jennings isn’t happy about it.

According to Jennings, Chicago Public Schools ruled the Lions’ victory against Perspectives-MSA in the first round as a no-contest and forced them to forfeit their second-round game Friday.

Jennings said there was an incident in the final two minutes of the game against Perspectives-MSA. The Lions (9-14) had a chance to go up by 11 points and get the ball when the game was called.

”No punches were thrown, and the police weren’t called,” Jennings said. ”The gym wasn’t emptied out. It was over in a minute, and no kids touched each other. There wasn’t a fight. Our bench didn’t empty.

”It’s hurtful that my seniors didn’t get to play against Curie tonight. It’s frustrating because I feel CPS didn’t do its due diligence and look into the situation. This will create problems because any team can get upset and provoke an incident if they are losing.”

Public League Tournament

Second-round scores

Young 79, Brooks 48

Curie d. Lincoln Park (forfeit)

Simeon 78, Clark 41

North Lawndale 76, Lindblom 64

Kenwood 76, Lane 44

Phillips 85, Orr 42

Perspectives-LA 104, Westinghouse 94, OT

Hyde Park 45, Farragut 32

Quarterfinals, Feb. 7

Curie at Young

North Lawndale at Simeon

Phillips at Kenwood

Perspectives-Leadership at Hyde Park

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Friday, February 3, 2023

BIG NORTHERN

Dixon at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Rockford Christian at Byron, 7:00

Rockford Lutheran at Rock Falls, 7:00

Stillman Valley at Oregon, 7:00

Winnebago at North Boone, 7:00

CATHOLIC LEAGUE – BLUE

Fenwick at St. Rita, 6:30

Mount Carmel at Brother Rice, 7:00

St. Ignatius at DePaul, 7:00

CATHOLIC LEAGUE – WHITE

Providence at St. Laurence, 7:00

Providence-St. Mel at Marmion, 7:00

CATHOLIC LEAGUE – CROSSOVER

Loyola at De La Salle, 6:30

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Deerfield at Highland Park, 7:00

Maine East at Vernon Hills, 7:00

Niles North at Maine West, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

New Trier at Evanston, 7:00

Glenbrook North at Maine South, 7:30

Niles West at Glenbrook South, 7:00

DU KANE

Batavia at Geneva, 7:00

Lake Park at Glenbard North, 7:00

St. Charles North at St. Charles East, 7:00

Wheaton North at Wheaton-Warr. South, 7:00

DU PAGE VALLEY

Naperville North at Naperville Central, 7:30

Neuqua Valley at Metea Valley, 7:00

Waubonsie Valley at DeKalb, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Benet at Marian Catholic, 7:00

Joliet Catholic at Nazareth, 7:00

Marist at St. Patrick, 7:00

St. Viator at Carmel, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Cary-Grove at Burlington Central, 7:30

Huntley at Crystal Lake South, 7:30

Jacobs at Dundee-Crown, 7:30

McHenry at Hampshire, 7:30

Prairie Ridge at Crystal Lake Central, 7:30

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Herscher at Coal City, 6:45

Lisle at Peotone, 6:45

Manteno at Streator, 6:45

Reed-Custer at Wilmington, 7:00

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Francis Parker at North Shore, 6:00

University High at Northridge, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Kaneland at Plano, 7:00

LaSalle-Peru at Sandwich, 7:00

Morris at Sycamore, 6:00

Ottawa at Rochelle, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

St. Francis at IC Catholic, 7:30

Timothy Christian at Chicago Christian, 7:00

Wheaton Academy at Aurora Christian, 7:30

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

St. Edward at Elmwood Park, 7:00

Westmont at McNamara, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – EAST

Buffalo Grove at Prospect, 7:30

Hersey at Elk Grove, 7:30

Wheeling at Rolling Meadows, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – WEST

Fremd at Conant, 7:30

Hoffman Estates at Schaumburg, 7:30

Palatine at Barrington, 7:30

NIC – 10

Belvidere at Auburn, 7:30

Freeport at Harlem, 7:30

Hononegah at Boylan, 7:15

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Forest at Lake Zurich, 7:00

Mundelein at Libertyville, 7:00

Warren at Waukegan, 7:00

Zion-Benton at Stevenson, 7:00

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Antioch at Grayslake North, 7:00

Grant at Wauconda, 7:00

North Chicago at Lakes, 7:00

Round Lake at Grayslake Central, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – BLUE

Thornton Fr. South at Thornton Fr. North, 6:30

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Argo at Tinley Park, 6:30

Bremen at Eisenhower, 6:30

Lemont at Evergreen Park, 7:00

Oak Forest at Shepard, 6:30

Richards at Hillcrest, 6:30

SOUTHLAND

Crete-Monee at Bloom, 5:00

Rich at Thornridge, 6:30

Thornwood at Kankakee, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Joliet West at Plainfield East, 6:30

Plainfield Central at Plainfield South, 6:30

Romeoville at Joliet Central, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Oswego at West Aurora, 6:30

Oswego East at Yorkville, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – BLUE

Lincoln-Way East at Bolingbrook, 7:00

Lockport at Sandburg, 7:00

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – RED

Andrew at Lincoln-Way West, 6:30

Stagg at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 7:00

TRI-COUNTY

Dwight at Roanoke-Benson, 7:30

Lowpoint-Washburn at Henry-Senachwine, 7:00

Putnam County at Marquette, 7:00

Seneca at Midland, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

Glenbard South at Glenbard East, 7:45

Larkin at Elgin, 7:00

South Elgin at Bartlett, 7:00

Streamwood at Fenton, 7:00

West Chicago at East Aurora, 6:30

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Morton at Leyden, 7:30

Proviso East at Hinsdale South, 7:30

Willowbrook at Downers Grove South, 6:00

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Downers Grove North at Proviso West, 7:30

Lyons at York, 7:30

Oak Park-River Forest at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Bulls Prep at Notre Dame, 6:30

Christian Liberty at South Beloit, 7:00

Islamic Foundation at Montini, 6:00

Juarez at Cristo Rey, 6:00

Lake Forest Academy at Morgan Park Academy, 6:0

Raby at Francis Parker, 6:00

Scales Mound at Glenbard West, 8:30

LITTLE TEN TOURNAMENT

at Somonauk

IMSA vs. Somonauk, 5:00

Newark vs. Earlville, 6:30

Serena vs. Hinckley-Big Rock, 8:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Second Round

Brooks at Young, 5:00

Lincoln Park at Curie, 5:00

Clark at Simeon, 5:00

Lindblom at North Lawndale, 5:00

Lane at Kenwood, 5:00

Phillips at Orr, 5:00

Perspectives-Lead at Westinghouse, 5:00

Farragut at Hyde Park, 6:30

RIVER VALLEY TOURNAMENT

TBA at Beecher

Donovan at Grant Park, 7:30

St. Anne at Momence

Clifton Central at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 7:00

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